And sand we shall become
by lemonlime109
Summary: Taking place just after Kenzi's rescue from the Kitsune. The gang meets a fae the legends say could control time itself.
1. Chapter 1: part 1

**Author's Note:** Hello all! This is a story I started writing a few months ago, but fell off on. A very nice person politely asked me to continue it, so here I am. Updates will be every Friday and Monday give or take a day. Hope you enjoy reading. Reviews always welcome.

Kenzi quickened her pace as she rounded the corner. The two men that had been trailing her since she passed the liquor store were beginning to gain on her. Why did she refuse Bo's offer to come along? She thought some time away from Bo would be good, he had been hanging around her ever since she got saved from the Kitsune. She just needed some time alone. Now she was regretting that decision.

She took a look over her shoulder and noticed that only one of the guys was still behind her. "Where did your little friend go?" she thought. Her question was soon answered when his "friend" stepped out of the alleyway just in front of her. He was 6'4 and built like a tank. A tattoo wrapped around the left side of his face, vaguely insectoid in appearance with bulging twitching eyes.

"Hey there, how's it going?" Kenzi asked as she reached for the mace and her bag (bear strength), making sure her dagger was still there as well. Are they Fae or human? She hoped for the latter at least than she would have a chance. "Insect face" sauntered closer to her.

"Nothing much just looking for something tasty," He replied a sly smile spreading across his face.

"Well I taste terrible," Kenzi glanced back and saw Insect Face's friend was quickly closing the gap.

"Hey little girlie-" Before he could even just than Kenzi pulled out her mace and sprayed him directly in his eyes, the friend yelled and drew back covering his eyes with his hands. Kenzi stayed just long enough to see a scorpion's tail sprout from his back and begin slashing the air before she began running. 'Fae, definitely Fae.' i

"Hon are you okay!" Kenzi heard over her shoulder.

"I'm fine Hayden, just get the girl!"

"Hon? Great, Now I'm being chased by gay scorpion men," Kenzi thought as she ran.

Kenzi could hear the loud thud her pursuers feet on the ground behind her. The rhythmic thud soon became the sound of several pairs of feet beating against the concrete. She looked back expecting to see both the man chasing her, instead she caught a glimpse of Insect Face's friend galloping after her his lower body elongated and sprouted an extra three pairs of exoskeleton coated legs. "What in the Fae?" she exclaimed.

It didn't take long for her pursuer to catch her. She screamed as his hands caught her by the waist and lifted her from the ground. "Why, aren't you a lively one?" His voice was low and gravelly, originating from deep in his now exoskeleton covered chest. With effort Kenzi was able to grasp the dagger from her purse.

"Let me go you stupid bug!" With all the might in her little body, Kenzi brought the knife down onto his head. His hardened skeleton deflected the blow, but Kenzi brought it down a second causing a crack to appear in his armor cutting from the crest of his hand and running down his face to his mouth. With a primordial roar Hayden threw Kenzi into the alleyway to their right. Kenzi hit the ground hard. All the air was knocked from her lungs.

"Damn it! I Can't believe a human cracked my skeleton." Hayden declared angrily felling the crack. As Kenzi lay their gasping "Insect Face" reached them.

"What the hell is going on? James, Why are you injured?" Insect Face asked taking Hayden's face into his hands, his face showing a soft concern. Insect Face looked the same as before except his jaw was split vertically allowing it to open at each of the four corners, and his tail was now controlled held behind him.

"I'm fine, the girl is stronger than she looks," Hayden answered his mate.

"Hey hive-mind," both Hayden and James(Insect Face) looked to the now crouched and ready Kenzi, "Sorry to interrupt your little love moment, but I have places to go." The two Fae pulled apart and began moving towards her.

"You should have ran we you had a chance girl," Insect Face said, his anger at the human showing in his eyes.

"Not like I would get very far," Kenzi retorted. She positioned her body to take on both of the Fae. She silently hoped that all the extra training with Bo was enough to fend them off.

"True," Hayden agreed, still moving towards her. "You seem very calm for a human facing down two Girtablilu. Who are you?"

"Her name is Kenzi," came a commanding, and strong voice from the mouth of the alley. Kenzi and the two Fae turned to see a young man standing there. He stood at 6'1 with a lean but muscular body, his skin a rich caramel. He wore a black leather hooded jacket and dark jeans. His deep hazel eyes focused on the two Girtablilu an indescribable power in his gaze. His next sentence carried an even greater power. "And she's off the menu."


	2. Chapter 1: part 2

The silence was deafening. As the man closed the distance between himself and the Girtablilu. The two Girtablilu sizing up the new arrival. Rising up to leer over the stranger. Stinging tails pulled back and ready. Spread claws blocking Kenzi's escape back out of the alley. "Does this-s human belong to you?" Spoke Hayden a hiss in his voice, his face finishing it's shift, insect eyes flicking between his once certain meal and the unknown fae before him.

"Her owner," replied the man, "Is Bo, the Unaligned Succubus."

"Ah" replied James " I have heard of the succubus, I assume that you are one of her light fae lapdogs here to protect her precious pet."

"I am no ones pet, insect-face!" retorted Kenzi, her pride getting the better of her. Her next word was cut off when James' tail snapped towards her the point stopping just short of impaling her , before pressing against her throat hard enough to restrict her breathing slightly, and push her into the alley wall.

"I would like to remind you," James continued, his tail still held to Kenzi's throat, but otherwise ignoring the human's outburst. "That as unaligned, the Succubus is not protected by law, and by effect her pets." His tail pushing even further into Kenzi's neck, forcing her to back into the alley's wall, the point threatening to pierce through. "Your interference is aggression by the Light into Dark matters, that do not concern you."

"I pledge not my loyalty to either Dark or Light, I seek not to lower myself by participating in the petty squabbles of lesser beings," The stranger replied, a mocking smile across his face.

"Another unaligned fae, thinking himself above us, but who are you to talk of us as children?" Hayden. The smaller scorpions tail coming to rest above his shoulder.

Kenzi had the strangest feeling of deja-vu an unmistakable feeling that she had experienced this before. From her position pinned against the wall she saw the new man's stance tense, his right foot positioning behind the left. The change was subtle going unseen by the eyes the Girtablilu.

"My n-" was all that escaped the strangers mouth before he was interrupted by Hayden's tail striking forward aiming for the man's chest. The man pivoted off his back foot spinning gracefully, producing a small blade from his jacket, and causing the Girtablilu's tail to strike harmlessly into the air, before being grabbed by the stranger by the base of the stinger, knife held four inches from the pointed tip..

"My name is Neco," The stranger finished, "and that was impolite." With a simple flick of the wrist Neco sheared off the stinger on Hayden's tail..The obviously fae enhanced blade cutting through the rock hard exoskeleton with seemingly no effort.

The injured scorpion let out a startled cry, retracting his tail. Grasping it by the now blunted end. Staring at the dagger held in Neco's hand. "Now let's talk like gentlemen here. You let the human go," gesturing to Kenzi still pinned against the way by James' tail, "and you both scurry out of this intact... well mostly," he finished, tossing the sheared off stinger at the Hayden's feet the same toothless mocking smile on his face.

James and Hayden met eyes their half insect face unreadable. After a tense moment James lowered his tail from Kenzi's throat. Causing Kenzi to fall to her hands knees coughing, before getting up rubbing the sore spot where James' tail had dug into her neck. "If this human is worth your death then take her, that blade is forbidden, even an unaligned fae must submit to the most ancient rules you know, you will be persecuted." James warned.

Ignoring the threats Neco moved forwards grabbing Kenzi firmly by the hand, again Kenzi felt the same feeling of Deja-vu a nagging memory in the back of her mind, it made the hair on the back of her neck stood up, she had the strangest feeling that she shouldn't say anything. A completely unlike herself thought. Neco all but dragged her out of the alley.

They walked for several minutes in complete silence, the need to stay silent still present in Kenzi's mind, the compulsion not to speak sealing her mouth closed.

"Eleven times Kenzi? Eleven?" Neco suddenly exclaimed his voice an octave higher then that he had used in the alley, "Never in my existence have I ever met a human that took eleven tries to persuade." Getting a raised eyebrow and a frown from Kenzi. Who still just trudged along silently "What?" Neco asked meeting Kenzi's gaze. After a moment recognition flashed across his face. "Oh yeah the impression, usually it only takes one time and it sticks for a few minutes, but eleven... " he continues shrugging his shoulders. ", the feeling will dissipate in a day or two."

Kenzi immediately came to a halt,gabbing Neco by the arm and turning him towards him towards her. Holding up two fingers and giving him a pointed stare. "Maybe be one!" replied defensively to the unspoken complaint ", either way you probably won't be awake before it wears off."

Another raised eyebrow form Kenzi was the response. "But what do you mean I won't be awake ?" Neco questioned himself for Kenzi. Continuing forward at a much quicker pace forcing Kenzi to almost jog to keep up. "Good question Kenzi. You see the reason is you have been stung by a Girtablilu," He explained motioning to Kenzi's neck, causing her to bring her hand to her throat and . A small welt beginning to form across her neck where Girtablilu tail had pressed against it. "Luckily it's only a scratch, Ms. Lewis should be able to counteract the venom. But your going to have to be sedated to stop the venom from spreading soon," he finished coming to a halt, in front of a set of double doors turning to face Kenzi, giving her a soft smile.

Glancing sideways Kenzi realized that he had lead her back to the Dal, the sound of laughter and the light melody of Gaelic music coming through the shut doors. "Kind of slow night, but it shouldn't take them to long to notice you."

"Notice me? Why would I have to wait for them to notcie me" Kenzi thought turning to give Neco a quizzical look, with a flick of his wrist she watched him toss a handful of powder from a small pouch he held.

"Nice meeting you Kenzi," was the last thing she heard before blacking out.


End file.
